#welsh mythology retelling

[gingersnaptaff]

Hello, bringing this to u on this fine Sunday morning because I was bored on the bus coming to work. Pls send prayers for me cuz I'm working for seven hours in the Christmas rush. (Ew.)

This is Gwyn after Llacheu's birth because you all love him - namely @gwalch-mei - so I wanted to show u his and Gwyn's first meeting. (Also Dylan content too for @dullyn )

[theonceandfuture]

you've won, sister. but at what cost?

March to Camelot - Prompt #2 - Ruin

[gawrkin]

could you tell me about arthur's bastard (and legitimate) children?

(Word of Caution: For various reasons, including inaccessibility of source materials, I am not fully read up on all the details of the source materials involving the following characters. Nor am I aware of all known children of Arthur. Therefore, I should advice discretion)

First are the two major sons, both of whom changed legitimacies as the legend evolved:

Mordred - Originally a nephew by Arthur's full sister Anna/Morgause in Historia Regum Britanniae, Mordred is later converted into Arthur's bastard son, conceived incestuously, in Vulgate Cycle. The Welsh Dream of Rhonabwy suggests that Mordred was fostered by Arthur (a normal practice of both Romans and Celts)

Loholt/Ilinot - First appeared in Erec and Enide and apparently based on the Welsh character of Llacheu, Loholt was originally a Legitimate son of Arthur by Guinevere in Perlesvaus and the German Tradition. But Vulgate Cycle alters this so that Loholt is instead another bastard son by a certain Lisanor prior to Arthur's marriage to Guinevere.

Next are the ones with Unknown Mothers (and thus of ambiguous legitimacy and relationship to Guinevere):

Amr/Amhar - Son of Arthur mentioned in Historum Brittonum as being killed by Arthur himself. His grave is described as naturally changing size with every look, implying supernatural influence. He is also mentioned in the Welsh Geraint, as one of Arthur's Four Chamberlains

Gwydre - Son of Arthur mentioned only in Culhwch and Olwen. He is killed by Twrch Trwyth alongside two maternal uncles of Arthur.

Llacheu - The most celebrated of the Welsh sons of Arthur, with mentions in Pa Gur, The Welsh Triads and other Welsh Poetic Material. Is usually identified with Loholt, with the Welsh adaptation of Perlesvaus - Y Seint Grail - being the most notable in that regard.

Duran - Son of Arthur only found in a 15th Century Welsh Manuscript, where he is said to have perished during the Battle of Camlann

Archfedd - Daughter of Arthur, found in the Welsh genealogical work Bonedd Y Saint, where she is said to have married Llawfrodedd, one of Arthur's warriors, and bore two children, Efadier and Gwrial

Apollonius, Iron and Hilde - Two sons and a daughter found in the 13th Century Icelandic Thidrekssaga.

Aristes - Son of Arthur mentioned in the Old Norse Mottuls saga

Legitimate Children of Arthur (Although not necessarily Guinevere's children)

Samson the Fair and Grega - Son and Daughter of Arthur by his wife, Queen Silvia. Both found in the Norse Samson saga fraga

Adeluf III, Morgan the Black and Patrick the Red - Three sons of Arthur, from Eldest to Youngest, from Rauf de Boun's 14th century chronicle, Petit Brut. Presumbly, sons of Queen Guinevere, but Rauf de Boun fails to mention the name of Arthur's wife. However, Adeluf III is made heir and assumes the Throne of England whilst Patrick and Morgan are given sizable inheritances in the form of Scotland and Wales. (Note: Wikipedia claims they're Arthur's sons by a fairy queen, but the cited source does not say so. Link to source HERE)

Seleucia - Daughter of Arthur by his first wife, Liscanor (Lisanor), in Jorge Ferreira de Vasconcelos' 16th century Portugese novel Memorial das Proezas da Segunda Tavola Redonda. (*This technically makes her the full sister of Lisanor!Loholt) She married Arthur's successor, Sagramor Constantino (a combination of Sir Sagramore and Constantine, son of Cador) and may have even bore a daughter, Princess Licorida

Huncamunca - Daughter of Arthur and his wife, Queen Dollalolla, from Henry Fielding's 1730 Tom Thumb play

Melora - Daughter of Arthur and Guinevere from the Irish romance Eachtra Mhelóra agus Orlando. One of the more well-known daughters of Arthur and one of the very few warrior women in Arthuriana.

Merevie/Smerbe/Smerviemore - Son of Arthur by his second marriage to a french princess, Elizabeth. Figures primarily in the genealogical legends of Scottish Clan Campbell, who claim descent from Arthur through Smervie.

Rowland, Ellen and Two unnamed older brothers - Certain versions of the Ballad of Childe Rowland and Burd Ellen portray them as the sons and daughter of Arthur and Guinevere, apparently due to the mention of Merlin.

Tryphine's son and daughter - A certain mystery play collected by François-Marie Luzel in 1863 merges Saint Tryphine from the Conomor legend with aspects of Queen Guinevere, with the primary antagonist being the lady's brother Kervoura. The two children are unnamed, but the son goes by an alias, "the Malouin"

Iduna - Daughter of Arthur and Guinevere from Edgar (1839), by Adolph Schutt

Blandine - Daughter of Arthur and Guinevere from Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde (1937), by Jean Cocteau

Bastard Children of Arthur:

Kyduan/Cydfan - Son of Arthur by Eleich ferch Iaen. Mentioned in Culhwch and Olwen and Bonedd yr Arwyr

Arthur le Petit - Son of Arthur from Post-Vulgate, born of Arthur's deliberate rape of a daughter of Sir Tanas. Arthur le Petit serves as a "good" counterpart to Sir Mordred. He loyally serves his father incognito for many years and despises Lancelot's faction for causing the destruction of Logres. He is slain by Sir Bleoberis.

Tom a Lincoln - Eponymous hero of the 16th century romance Tom a Lincoln, by Richard Johnson. Son of Arthur by Angelica, a daughter of the Mayor of London. Fathers two additional characters, the Black Knight and the Faerie Knight.

Gyneth - Daughter of Arthur by a half-genie named Guendolen. From Walter Scott's The Bridal of Triermain (1813). A huntress whose Marriage competition results in the death of many knights including Vanoc, who is implied to be Merlin's son. As a result, Merlin puts her into an enchanted sleep for many centuries until her true love awakens her with a kiss.

And finally, those with a tenuous link to Arthuriana:

Nathalia - a supposed daughter of Arthur who accompanied St. Ursula according to De Sancta Ursula: De undecim milibus Virginum martirum (1183), by Herman Joseph

Baeddo - Wife of the Visigothic Spanish king Reccared. Claimed to be a daughter of Arthur by Compendio Historial, by Esteban de Garibay y Zamalloa

Tortolina - a daughter of Arthur according to Pantochronachanon (1652), by Thomas Urquhart

*(Additional Source link about the Daughters of King Arthur: HERE)

[mordredpendragon]

Young Percival Questions Sir Owen (original illustration for 'King Arthur's Knights: The Tales Retold for Boys and Girls') by Walter Crane (1845–1915)

[queer-ragnelle]

I just found an Owain retelling I haven’t gotten my hands on just yet but I’m sorry for the feral woman I’ll become when I do.

[god-of-annwn]

We’ve progressed past the point of Greek mythology retellings, now its time for Welsh mythology retellings

[pomefioredove]

so yesterday I theorized that the fae in twst could be french, possibly breton inspiration, and was mercifully corrected by @tresgansosenunabrigo who actually knows things about french folklore unlike meee

we had a really good talk, which breathed life into a thought of mine about Briar Valley being parallel to ancient Irish mythology, that I had brushed off as insane months ago

some of the following is an old essay that I wrote, that I now find very very... um, incomplete at best, incorrect at worst. I've done my best to put out something more accurate, relevant, and interesting

but, for the sake of this essay: this is only for speculative purposes in the context of fiction. I am only drawing small parallels, and this is not a theory. I am not a teacher. I am not claiming to know everything. I'm just some guy who reads

a brief forward:

my credentials are "religious studies major" and not much else. I am not Irish, nor am I pagan, and my knowledge/study in Irish mythology is very secondary to Catholicism. I have been close to and spoken to a handful of experts within the field but am not one myself.

furthermore, I look to old/historical sources for knowledge, and reject eclectic and appropriative wiccan ideas. this has been a seven year long labor of love, but I'm still not perfect, and continue to sift through my sources every day. The misinformation that eclectics have created about Irish mythology have made way into books, into articles, into common belief, so it is, in fact very difficult not to internalize misinformation. I'm trying </3

and I am begging anyone in this field to correct any mistakes I make.

additionally I've only read a little bit of book 7 so I may be totally crazy. this is just a speculative piece, after all.

a glossary of knowledge:

for the purpose of this essay, I may use "fae" as an umbrella term, which includes pixies, medieval French fae, the aos sí, and the Tuatha de Danann*

*please note that the Tuatha de were gods in their original sources, but were changed to fairies, other supernatural beings, and occasionally kings in later Catholicized retellings.

I will be focusing most on ancient beliefs, with vague mentions of medieval/post-Catholicism ones. Catholicism is extremely important in the context of these stories, as it was the Catholic monks who preserved them in written form, and it's quite literally impossible not to mention. it's had a huge influence.

etc.

when talking about folklore, mythology, or religion, it's literally impossible to draw definite lines. it's why I hate when people say "well this religion stole this thing!" because religions intermingle, they share, they swap, they sometimes even meld with each other into something unique. ever-changing and different and the same. the Romans adopted their beliefs from the Greeks, and they shared gods with the Gauls, and then Christianity used the image of Jupiter as God. a big part of being a history major is understanding how to draw connections between cultures and peoples.

Admittedly, I am not familiar with the French idea of fae. I know that it is medieval. post-Christianity. it's a fairly loose term that denotes a "magical woman, skilled with words, herbs and stones" (via Wikipedia) and not much else. this is relevant to the Sleeping Beauty story, in which all the fairies are women. Maleficent's guards are not fairies, but ghouls (is that the right word?). I couldn't tell you the exact origin of French fairies, but it's not far-fetched to say they could have had "Celtic"* influence

*in reference to more than one culture in this context. scottish, manx, welsh, irish, etc

It is, perhaps, more important to add that French fairies are romantic figures in nature. very... fairy-tale esque. characters such as the fairy godmother and the good fairies in Perrault's version of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are good examples of this.

TWST fae... are... a little different. obviously. while it may be easy to simply argue that "it's twisted, so they're darker" or "Briar Valley is based off Maleficent's domain so of course it's dark", it's implied (and shown!) that good entities come from Briar Valley, too. pixies exist in TWST, for example. then there are the good fairies from Sleeping Beauty, which have to exist alongside Maleficent in the canon of TWST. The fae here are layered, much more so than in their sources.

This is where I start seeing shit.

war, weapons, and invasion

When speculating on the influence of French folklore in Briar Valley, I was told that "war" is a rather uncommon thing in their stories. Invasion is, of course, an imperative theme in Briar Valley history, in Lilia's background, and in book 7 as a whole. So. I get thinking.

The war between the fae and the humans carries significant parallels to the war between the Tuatha de Danann and the humans in the Lebor Gabála Érenn, the Book of Invasions, wherein the "fae" and the humans warred over land and resources until the former were driven out of Ireland and the humans became the ancestors of the modern Irish. And by "parallels" I mean this exact thing happens. THE EXACT THING. The Book of Invasions was literally the first thing I thought about when in Lilia's dream.

War is, of course, a recurring theme in Irish mythology. Ná Morríghan is associated with war, there's that entire book of invasions, like, anything about Cú Chulainn, etc.

I also, very quickly, want to draw a comparison between Lilia's magearm and the four treasures of the Tuatha de Danann, which are described in literature such as the Lebor Gabála and Cath Maige Tuired (iirc). magical weaponry is a fairly common motif in various Celtic mythologies. in Irish mythology, it's the Spear of Lugh, and various swords, clubs, etc. The magearm just struck the same chord for me.

nature

I fear this is about to get very ~ohooo magical pagan connection to nature!~ please bear with me.

The mythology of Ireland is very, very, very tied to the land. You can still see this today, actually. Various natural formations- hills, islands, etc- have mythological names. Much like Olympus in Greek mythology, places mentioned in Irish mythological sources have real-world counterparts, such as Tech Duinn, the House of the Dead, being Bull Rock- a tiny island off the coast of Cork (cool post about that and the ancient Irish belief in death here). Trees had important religious, cultural, and linguistic (see: Ogham) connotations. Many of the Tuatha de had animalistic attributes and associations, such as Morríghan and crows. Even more were associated with fertility and agriculture, which was kind of a big deal. Symbols that which represent fertility, are rather common motifs (such as the Lia Fáil on the Hill of Tara, which I've read is theorized to be phallic).

That's not even mentioning the oceans, the cliffs, the forests, or the sidhe (a "fairy mounds", manmade or natural features that connect our world to the otherworld of Irish mythology).

At multiple points in Lilia's dream do we hear the fae talk about how important nature is to fae. I am unsure if this strong love for land is a theme in French folklore.

I also want to briefly point out that, in reputable sources, the "Celtic" day began at sunset. Darkness- night, winter, cold- were important to the ancient Irish, both in culture and in mythology. It's probable that their "New Year" began at Samhain (soh-wen), the holiday that celebrated the beginning of winter, to put it briefly. Here's a discussion post about this (and I sent this ask!!!!)

I just find the significance of darkness and night to hold some ground with the concept of "nocturnal fae" in TWST. "Night's blessing's", they say.

form

I also want to add, very quickly, that there are multiple different iterations of "fairies" in Irish mythology and folklore. The Tuatha de resemble humans. The modern aos sí are more mystical. The Fomorians (whom are or are not fairies, depending on who you ask?) are described as more animalistic and monstrous. The nature of fae in TWST is unclear, but they read, to me, as human-like with different abilities, different physical attributes, and a different connection to land and nature. Which is, in form, similar enough to the "fae" of Irish (and other Celtic) folklore.

Lilia

Head in hands. Shall we talk about the importance of the paternal figure in Irish mythology. I feel I have to.

I really really hate saying the word "fertility" so much because I start sounding like a Wiccan, I promise I'm going somewhere with this.

In the Nature segment, I briefly touched on the importance of fertility and the phallic symbol. I know that usually, when talking about ~fertility~ in reference to paganism, people are talking women/goddesses, but throughout my readings of Irish mythology, I've found that male fertility is just as important. More specifically, fatherhood. I, unfortunately, couldn't find much input on this, but I think it's safe to say that The Dagda, for example, is considered an important father figure and is associated with fatherhood.

It's just important.

Head in hands again. Now let's talk about fostering. Fosterage was, by most sources, a really big thing in ancient Ireland. Raising someone else's child, including that of your enemy, was not only acceptable, not only common, but traditional. And the themes of fosterage exist in the mythos, too- in Tóraigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne, the demi-god Diarmuid was fostered by Aengus Og. Aengus Og was also fostered. Fosterage is a theme in Cú Chulainn's story, so on and so forth. The gods/fae/etc foster humans, they foster demi-gods, they foster other gods.

I wanted to mention both of these as important themes in both Irish mythology and Lilia's story because like. come onnn lol.

And One More Thing!!!

This isn't super relevant to this essay, I just like to bring it up: Lilia is vampiric? Well, there's vampires in Irish folklore (or close enough, anyway. the link gives a few different versions of the story and their origins). Some think that Abhartach was actually the true inspiration behind Bram Stoker's Dracula. I don't know how much credibility this theory has, I've read a few essays on it. I just think this is fun.

Silver

Much of what I said in Lilia could be said here, too. All I really want to bring up is the symbolism of acorns. I've mentioned that certain trees had mythological connections, and the oak tree was. Um. A big one. It's a recurring theme, past, and present. Even the "Celtic Tree of Life" is an oak. I don't know, it's just important.

I could also draw some pretty stark comparisons between the story of Fionn mac Cumhaill, a heroic figure in Irish Mythology, and Silver, but that would be a bit much.

Sebek

Half-god and half-human heroes, fae, whatever etc are very much present and important in Irish mythology. That's all I can think of for now.

Malleus

I suppose I could, if I tried very hard, find something to say about Malleus, but this is where the ~medieval Europe~ starts to seep in. I am unaware of any dragons or dragonlike creatures in Irish, or other Celtic, myth.

Nobility is, however, a major theme in Irish mythology. There are many rules, there are laws, there are gods and goddesses of sovereignty, it's huge, and sort of parallels Diasomnia's structure, in a strange way. I'd need to know how their housewarden is chosen, lmao.

conclusion

Do I think the TWST writers have an intimate knowledge of ancient Irish mythology and are purposefully making allusions to drive me insane specifically? no. obviously not. is it possible that these myths have influenced the general idea of fae, and thus were included in the writing process unconsciously? yes. absolutely!

Ultimately, this is more of a thought exercise and an analysis than a theory. Take it as you will.

so on and so forth.

[theskyexists]

Ok. MY f/f fantasy / sci-fi recs so far:

Fantasy

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath (Moniquill Blackgoose)

FRESH. Delightful take on dragons and their magic. Fresh American (and global) alternate history, tilting the world just so on its axis, a blazingly clear look at colonialism via the eyes of a Native American. The protagonist is wonderful. The romances are surprisingly wonderful. It's fantasy, and it's speculative fiction.

Spear (Nicola Griffith)

Retelling of the story of Arthurian Percival (a woman!), incorporating Welsh and Irish mythologies. Lovely material and vivid imagining of the times. It's a pleasure to read about such a powerful protagonist. The prose reminds me that that level of writing is possible.

The Warrior's Path (Catherine M Wilson)

Classic, foundational. Bronze age coming of age story of a warrior and leader. Lovingly detailed depiction of prehistoric society. Interesting thoughts on war and peace and even magic. It's hard to describe. A classic.

Daughter of Mystery (Heather Rose Jones)

Gentry-typical early modern world. Story set in a fictional European country which makes for some really interesting linguistic choices. Really romantic bodyguard / sudden heir setup. Christianity as a magic system!!

Spring Flowering (Farah Mendlesohn)

Very sweet, Jane Austen type historical fiction. Not quite fantasy but I'm including it.

Iron & Velvet (Alexis Hall)

The reckless and hilarious urban fantasy protagonist called in to investigate high stakes conflicts but f/f. Parodies a lot and effectively. The protag calls werewolves woofs. Has chemistry with every powerful female faction-leader in the city.

The Cage (A.M. Dellamonica)

Short story. One of the most touching things I've read.

Fledgling (Octavia E. Butler)

Classic. Awesome vampires. There's some f/f in there. You have to get over the protagonist looking like a kid. Seriously. It's Butler, thus just a bit dubcon.

Sci-fi

Gideon the Ninth (Tamsyn Muir)

Obvious. Worldbuilding and prose both delightful and intriguing.

The Scorpion Rules (Erin Bow)

Unsettling, awful, fascinating proposal of a future with an antagonist-god I deeply hated. Great twist on Young Adult fiction that made me crow with satisfaction. Still think about this one regularly.

The Unnamed Midwife (Meg Elison)

Apocalypse, virus, sexual violence. And YET. It's neither truly icky nor completely beyond imagining.

Some Desperate Glory (Emily Tesh)

It's ok. It has interesting ideas, especially at the start. Have to emphasise: it starts out amazing. Great look at sexism and homophobia. The protagonist goes through one of the most elaborate and well-paced character developments I've probably ever read. Eventual plot/ending so-so.

The Stars are Legion (Kameron Hurley, derogatory mention)

It makes no damn sense. Compels me though...

[marchwardenofmordor]

Ok so. I am writing and illustrating a novel called ‘Ynys Arawyn’.

It is structured as such:

Prose Chapter | Riddle | Poetry Chapter | Prose Chapter, repeat. It has illustrations throughout and I’m aiming for a medieval book of hours type thing.

It contains fictional fantasy retellings of the history of Merthyr Tydfil and the Ironmasters, the brutal history of Abergavenny Castle, and many more tales sown into the heart of South Wales. It takes inspiration from the works of Shakespeare (in dialect), Tolkien (in vibe) and Welsh History and Mythology.

There are soliloquys, LGBT+ themes, nurturing nature, brutal betrayals, a fight between two magic wielding brothers, sieges, battles of wits, giantess warrior witches, dragons, magical conduits, elves (Tylwyth Teg), fallen stars, werewolves (cwn annwn and Y Helais-Wyllt), ghouls (wrach’ribn), and half-spider monstrosities.

Beware ye, all who enter - here be monsters. Monsters, and men. But which is which? What makes a monster a monster? Can a man become a monster become a man?

It is deeply druidic, wholeheartedly Cymraeg, and very very queer.

Chapter titles are in Welsh, although I am also playing with linguistics to create my own language.

The language of the Coronids - stars, created by and sparkling like dew in the web of the Void Spider Coronach - is written in the round, like the manucript for ‘En La Maison Dedalus’, punctuated with long sweeping lines connecting the phrases, resulting in writing that spirals and connects like a spider’s web. The language itself is a mixture of Gaulish, Cymraeg and Kernowek (I lived in Cornwall for a while), and the language that the elves use is derived from this - given that they studied the stars from the mountaintops - and is pretty much just a more phonetic Cymraeg, and written in linear lines. There are hardly any speakers of the language, since it is mostly used for incantations and spells, and not many elves in the modern day were taught to wield the power of the mountains. But the language is reviving itself.

So far, I’ve written many poems, a couple of chapters and a collection of riddles, some in English and one in my Tylwyth Language (with a translation). I’ve drawn a rough map. I’ve designed the spiralling format of the original Coronid scripture. It’s starting to come together.

I’ve not marketed it yet, nor have I disclosed any of it up until now, as it’s still a work in progress, but if you love the following, I’m confident you’ll enjoy it!

🍎 LGBT themes - main characters!!

🍎 D&D, BG3, The Witcher, Dragon Age

🍎 Tolkien

🍎 Welsh Mythology and Folklore

🍎 Dark, Gritty but Beautiful Fantasy

🍎 Shakespeare

🍎 Linguistics, particularly for ancient languages

🍎 Welsh History

🍎 Enemies to Lovers

🍎 Strong female characters who aren’t “girlbosses”.

🍎 Sad old men

🍎 Lady Knights, Celestial Femboys and Transmasc Monsters, Oh My!

🍎 Riverdance

If it was ever made into a film or series, I’d want this as the theme tune!!!

I’m also looking to get it translated and published in Welsh. Ideally, I’m hoping to work with Y Lolfa. My dream is to make it to the Hay Festival and the National Eisteddfod, where I someday hope to compete as a Bard.

A sample of my art:

[gwynrieldreams]

[MASTERLIST]

Greek Mythology in the Maasverse

Greek Influences pt 1: Throne of Glass

Greek Influences pt 2 i: ACOTAR

Greek Influences pt 2 ii: ACOTAR

Greek Influences pt 3 i: Crescent City

Greek Influences pt 3 ii: Crescent City

Acotar: An Eros and Psyche Retelling

Why Feysand is the Hades and Persephone trope

Night Court parallels with the Greek Underworld

The Archeron sisters and their connection to triple deities in greek mythology

The Crescent City Drop Analysis: How it's inspired by the Eleusinian Mysteries, one of the most famous religious rites in ancient Greece.

Theories

Dusk Court Theory/Gwyn is Starborn pt 1: Similarities with Bryce

Dusk Court Theory/Gwyn is Starborn pt 2: Connection to Gwydion

How Gwynriel and Elucien mirror Quinlar and Satharion

Amren and Fury Axtar Parallels

Literary Analysis and Authorial Intent

Gwynriel

Azriel Bonus Chapter Analysis pt 1: Literary devices

Azriel Bonus Chapter Analysis pt 2: Mating Language

More reasons why I believe Gwynriel is endgame

Azriel's Shadows Analysis pt 1

Azriel's Shadows Analysis pt 2

Reasons why I believe the gwynriel book will be Gwyn-centered

Debunking the "evil" Gwyn theory

Gwyn is not a child

A thing of secret lovely beauty ~ Analysis

Gwyn and Rhysand Parallels

Elucien

Elain - Lucien - Azriel: Parallels to Greek and Welsh Myths

Elucien vs E/riel pt 1: Why Lucien is the better choice for Elain

Elucien vs E/riel pt 2: Why elucien makes more sense from a narrative standpoint

Defending Lucien Vanserra

Elriel - Cheating trope

The Elucien Bond - The word thread(s) - Debunking that it's a spell

Nesta/Valkyries

ACOSF: A Taming of the Shrew Retelling

Why Emerie wasn't the only one worthy to win the Blood Rite.

Translations in Greek

All the bonus chapters translated in greek

My fanarts

Gwynriel

Fun Posts

Moodboards: Gwyn i ii iii iv, Azriel, Gwynriel, Lucien, Elain, Elucien

Picrews: Acotar, ToG, CC, jurdan, vaxleth

Gwynriel/Elucien Bingo Cards

Gwyneth Berdara High Lady of Dusk Court Headcanon: Gwydion Dress

Gwyneth Berdara Priestess, Water~Nymph

Biblically accurate Gwyn

Gwyn Berdara Aesthetic

Colour Analysis: ACOTAR Pt 1 Pt 2

Colour Analysis: Throne of Glass Pt 1 Pt 2

Colour Analysis: Crescent City Pt 1 Pt 2

The ACOTAR girlies in formal dresses

Nails for the ACOTAR girlies

Nails for the TOG girlies

Nails for the CC girlies

Nails for each ACOTAR Court

Feysand wedding ring

Acotar girlies wedding rings

Rowaelin wedding rings

Day Court is inspired by Ancient Egypt headcanon

pfp: mistilteinn.art | banner: aikuchin | dividers: @olenvasynyt

[gingersnaptaff]

*waves* going to sleep because work was grim, disgusting, awful, a war crime, so pls send asks about anything u want!

Also some more Gwyn After She's Given Birth for u all:

[theonceandfuture]

March to Camelot - Prompt #3 - Family

been kind of enthralled with this post as of late, so here's a doodle of king kermit (arthur) and his son, sir mordred (robin)!

[gawrkin]

(Source: The Faerie Queene - Book III, Canto II, by Edmund Spencer)

Being a warrior woman and the daughter of the traditional Arthurian antagonist King Rions, Britomart is a weird character to consider in the context of the wider Arthurian narrative.

Not only because Britomart - being from a Renaissance era Literary Work - means her very existence was never meant to be factored into the French Carmelide narrative, with her father's war against Arthur and Leodegrance.

But also because, intentionally or not, Edmund Spencer ended up creating a very peculiar counterpart to Queen Guinevere:

Guinevere and Britomart are the daughters of Kings Leodegrance and Ryons, respectively. As mentioned, said kings are famously portrayed to be at war with one another that requires Arthur to intercede. But there is another aspect to this: They're both giants in Welsh Myth. King Ryons is based on Rhitta Gawr, a giant associated with Snowdonia, whom Arthur traditionally defeats. While Guinevere's father, in the Welsh Canon, is popularly accepted as Gogfran Gawr (with the name "Leodegrance" being specific to French Canon)

The name "Britomart" itself originates from the Greek Goddess Britomartis. (Which becomes very appropriate with Vulgate Cycle's statement of King Ryons being a descendant of Hercules). Guinevere/Gwenhwyfar, on the other hand, is a cognate of Findabair, daughter of Medb of Irish Mythology.

However, Spencer named his character "Britomart" in favor of a constructed etymology - wherein Britomart is formed from the words "Brita" for Briton and "Mart" for Mars/Martial - which is meant to invoke an association between the martial status of character with the name of Island of Britain. Whilst Guinevere's name, on the other hand, contains the word "Gwen" meaning "White" wherein belies a connection to the old name of Britain before Brutus of Troy conquered it, Albion.

Britomart is interpreted as an allegorical stand-in for Queen Elizabeth I, while Guinevere is theorized by some as surrogate for Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Britomart is one of the few female knights in the entirety of Arthurian Literature. In contrast, Guinevere is portrayed as a sorceress in certain continuities.

Britomart is known as the "Knight of Chastity", while Guinevere is famous for her association with Adultery.

Guinevere is one of the most archaic characters of the Arthurian cast while Britomart is a Post-Malory creation.

If one could make a retelling of the War in Carmelide, taking in Britomart and the Welsh canon into account, then the story becomes a bloody conflict between two warring tribes of giants and their respective chieftains. Hell, you could even insert Yspaddaden and his daughter as a third party to arbitrate between the two factions.

So then, Britomart becomes the powerful warrior princess of the Giants of Snowdonia, leading her father's armies as a frontline champion against Carmelide, becoming a heated enemy and rival to princess Gwenhwyfar ferch Gogfran, who must step up as the defender of her father and her country.

To makes things interesting between Gwenhwyfar and Britomart, Britomart ought to be pure amazon, winning battles through fighting prowess, while Gwenhwyfar leans towards the mystical side of things, having prophetic abilities, other magical powers like shapeshifting and using her cunning to subdue the martial Britomart and the armies of King Rhitta. (Note that, being a giantess, Gwenhwyfar would still have superhuman strength as a given)

And so it goes on for years - seven years according to Leodegrance in Vulgate Merlin - until things get really awkward when King Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of Logres force their way into the conflict, causing Britomart to balk at having to fight an old friend who, in turn, is seeking Gwenhwyfar's hand in marriage...

[dailydemonspotlight]

Wild Hunt - Day 127

Race: Night

Alignment: Neutral-Chaos

Evolves into Abaddon [SMT IV, Level 58]

October 15th, 2024

While we've already talked about Dormarth, we haven't touched upon where this hound comes from- that being the Wild Hunt, a common mythological staple in many European mythologies. Of course, the hunt appears in Celtic myth, but it also appears all the same in many other areas, including Slavic areas, Norse myth, and much more; The concept is ultimately timeless, with constant references, and is intrinsically linked to Halloween in many European places- after all, as the time of spirits draws near, the ghosts shall come out for one last hunt, even until the end of time. I wonder if they know the next hunt is scheduled for next year.

The Wild Hunt, as said above, is a common motif throughout many different European mythologies and religions, not just the Norse ones that most people are familiar with. While it does roughly share similar origins in most retellings, as the Scandanavian term for it calls it 'Odin's hunt,' the Wild Hunt does vary greatly across regions in forms of its leaders and popular figures. Our first source for the Wild Hunt's existence is actually one of the earliest pieces of Anglo-Saxon literature we know of, called the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Dating back to the 1100's AD, the text mentions the Wild Hunt, though only scantly- however, it points to the fact that this concept has existed for thousands of years! It may even date earlier than that, as a matter of fact- as purported by Jacob Grimm (a man... rather famous for his unreliability, granted, but it is an interesting theory,) the idea of the Wild Hunt may have its roots in pre-Christian Norse mythology, and could have been connected to a darker side of Odin.

But, I hear you asking, what even is the Wild Hunt? While the specifics change from story to story, the general concept is the same- on a specific date range, typically around Autumn or Winter, a group of spirits would emerge from the underworld (changing based on the mythology, of course,) to perform a great hunt, becoming a massive wind of ghosts that would sweep up anybody unlucky enough to be outside at the time and would end up bringing them to an early grave (or just someplace else) to join the hunt again. This was primarily inspired by the howling winds of late night Autumn, with the cause now attributed to this supernatural event.

Interestingly, the common leader of this phenomenon was typically a God- most of the time, a deity in charge of the hunt would be leading the metaphorical (and literal) pack, such as Odin or, in the case of the Welsh version of this myth that we went over in the Dormarth analysis, Gwyn ap Nudd, the Lord of the Dead. It could also be led by some less deific figures, of course, but it was mostly deities and characters with high relevance and power in the mythos. A great hunting party does need a great leader, after all. Possibly the funniest version of this, though, is recounted in Grimm's paper on it, wherein a hunter known as Hans von Hackelnberg led the hunt- a man who died to, and I shit you not, accidentally stabbing himself on a boar's tusk and dying from the sickness it caused. Somehow, his passion for hunting was so great that, even in death, he refused to go to heaven, instead moving to create the Wild Hunt.

Now, in terms of design in SMT, the Wild Hunt is about as accurate as you can get- a howling wind of several ghosts accompanied by horses and dogs. Funny enough, the dog might actually be a reference to Dormarth? The fact you can have a Wild Hunt and a Dormarth in the same party might indicate that there's two, but I dunno, I'm just talking out of my ass. Still, it's a fun and effective design that captures its essence perfectly. I have no idea why it evolves into Abaddon, though.

[gingersnaptaff]

This is true!!! I love Edern and Enid and I don't think they should be defined by the guy who is a literal shithead. I think also Edern and Enid should be explored by themselves cuz they're fascinating!!! I wonder how Edern feels being a brother to Gwyn ap Nudd and how Enid feels about her life before everything that happens with Geraint as well as how she adjusts to everything once her trials have happened. (And also I hope she divorces his arse.)

Really sucks that to have Enid or Edern ap Nudd in a story, Geraint usually has to be there.

We should change this.